"Bionic Model" Rebekah Marine Will Walk NYFW

Rebekah Marine was born without her right forearm, which might have stopped some people from pursuing a career in modeling, but it didn't stop her. After years of rejection — and almost giving up — self-described "bionic model," Rebekah Marine, will be walking at New York Fashion Week in the FTL Moda show, prosthetic arm and all.

When Marine was a kid, she was rejected by plenty of modeling agencies, which caused her to lose confidence in her ability to become a model, so she started pursuing other careers. However, six years ago Marine was given an i-limb quantum prosthetic hand, which gave her the confidence to give modeling another go. Within months, she started booking shoots, including a small bridal shoot, catalog work for Nordstrom, and a runway spot in NYFW last February.

"My image isn't for everyone; I've accepted that. [But] it's so important to include more diverse models, because after all, nearly one in five people in America have a disability," Marine said in an interview with Mashable. "We should be celebrating uniqueness, not conforming to what the media thinks is beautiful."

Marine isn't the only disabled model who is making headlines this season. Madeline Stuart, an Australian model with Down Syndrome, will also be walking in the FTL Mota show this New York Fashion Week.

Way to go, FTL Mota for embracing model diversity. I, for one, cannot wait to see photos from the show!

Images: Rebekah Marine/Facebook